1.Everyone shall possess the right to freely express and publicise his thoughts in words, images or by any other means, as well as the right to inform others, inform himself and be informed without hindrance or discrimination
2.Exercise of the said rights shall not be hindered or limited by any type or form of censorship
Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, Article 37.º

The Strange McCann Case

Imagine you had been a police officer for 30 years and that you were investigating the disappearance of a little English girl named Maddie McCann.

Imagine that all the police officers, including you, concluded that the little girl had died and that the parents were suspects of being involved in concealing the body.

Imagine that the little girl’s parents were made official suspects and that the English press started to call you “bungling cop”, “amateur”, “corrupted”, “inept”, “incompetent” and “failure”.

Imagine that the English press started to announce on a daily basis that you had “manufactured the case”, “made stuff up”, “”ditched vital evidence”, “hampered the investigation”, that you were “biased”, “cruel” and “lying”.

Imagine that for month after month, the English press called you “fat”, “drunk”, “torturer”, “stupid”, “imbecile” and “infamous”, repeating 418 times that you were a “disgraced” man and that the mother of your children was a “prostitute”.

Imagine that the police’s political directory did not defend you and that, quite to the contrary, it took the case investigation away from you, allowing for the English press to print the headline “Sacked!” and to renew all previous attacks with increased violence.

Imagine that the Public Ministry declared that the process would wait for the production of better evidence and that said statement was understood in England as an “acquittal” of the little girl’s parents, prompting even more attacks from the press against the “bungling cop”, “amateur” and “corrupt”, who “manufactured the case”, “made stuff up” and “ditched vital evidence”.

Have you imagined all of this? Well, then answer this question: IF YOU COULD WRITE A BOOK TO DEFEND YOUR REPUTATION, WOULD YOU WRITE IT?

Now imagine that the book was taken off the market because it damaged the little girl’s parents’ reputation…

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193 comments:

If this would have been my case, I would have written hundred books.It is a scandal what the UK did to Amaral and to the PJ.He said that after theses hearings,or after the sentence, he has a lot more to tell.Things that we don't know.I can't wait.

Speaking about to sue people who go telling the police what they know or suspect.Everybody who knows or suspect something is obliged by law to tell the police.Every police need people to help them.I hope Mrs. Yvonne Martin will be of great help.She uses to spend weeks in the Algarve, doesn't she?

It truly makes me ashamed to be British. I apologise to Portugal for my country, we are not like that really.

The McCanns are nothing but guilty, arrogant, lying bastards with the support of paedophiles in high positions. Only Portugal can sort this out as there is no chance of even honest reporting in the UK.

I hope and pray(and I am not religious) that the whole cover up is exposed and that many people face justice.

BRAVO Mr Amaral,he did what i would have done any many other people would have done and he had the right to do so just like us if we had been dragged through the shit like Mr Amaral has been and still is. well written article, thank you

Great article. If it was me I would certainly write that book and I would make YouTube videos and broadcast my side of the truth to the whole damn world.

I have always thought - with absolutely certainty - that what Snr Amaral has said and written about the McCanns is absolute fact and truth. I, too, have thought from day one that Madeleine was NOT abducted and that something more sinister happened. I have no question about the thesis; my question is and has always been: who is backing the McCanns and why?

On another note; I keep reading how "smart" and "intelligent" the McCanns are. Let me state very clearly here: the McCanns are not the people we are propogandad into believing they are. They are both extremely stupid who just happen to be backed by a bunch of freemasonry widgets. Gerry McCann does not even speak like the way he does in front of camera off camera. He is a Glaswegian (a native of the city of Glasgow) and one of those Glaswegians who try to lose their vernacular when making themselves important to a higher order. Watch his interview with Jeremy Paxman to see how tangled McCann gets when he tries to talk polite. It is quite embarrassing.

No, these two are housing estate people who have tried to raise themselves a little bit above mediocrety. A doctor's certificate or title does not constitute intelligence. It is a sign of one individual passing the indoctrination process and inevitably become sales people for the pharmaceautical industry. It does not imply the McCanns are inteligent or clever. They are both extremely stupid and a great sign for me never to put our trust in someone just because they have a white coat with a gold pen in the top pocket.

In the end nature will win. The truth will out and as I predicted on the 4th of May 2007: all these freemasonry connections will disown the McCanns and they will be left to fight their own corner and then we will see how clever these two are.

Mr Amaral is already fighting his corner on his own and that is the difference between wisdom and daftness.

Thanks, for reading and thanks, greatly, to Joana Morias for her outstanding work.

What RePUTAtion. s ? They are void. Obsolete . The problem is that, they cant control their maniac ways any longer. These are indeed very sick people. Dnt know whether to feel sorry, or to despise them.Jamar

So who is the AUTHOR of all this attacks of the English Press? Who will explain WHY?! WHAT FOR?! this honorable man is suffering so badly? I cant wait for the day when C.M. get what he deserves.But sadly there's no way to compensate all they've done to him. Me deepest RESPECT to Goncalo Amaral. Sir, please fight them till the end. And God bless you!

The parents imo ruined their own reputations (whatever they thought their reputations were) the moment they made the conscious decision to leave their three vulnerable children all then aged 3 and under unsupervised in a flat to go to a Bar whether they checked them every 30 mins or not!

Excellent article. It sums up exactly why Mr Amaral wrote his book. I have always maintained that he is the type of person not to be intimidated by anyone and will not bow to pressure from 'people in high places'. He did not know when he wrote his book that it would 'fly off the bookshelves' in the way it did, he was expressing his view to restore his own reputation, and if it turned out to be a best seller, well that's a bonus. None of us can see into the future, so how people can argue he did it to get rich, I don't know, because he would still be in his low paid job now if he had not been taken off the case; that was not his decision and he was not at liberty to speak about it because he was still a serving officer. Therefore he wrote his book in order that his voice was heard, and not for personal gain.

Please refrain from referring to the population of Glasgow in such terms. It is a large cosmopolitan city and shouldn't be defined in terms of "Gerry McCann". You cannot complain about racial abuse being perpetrated on Mr. Amaral and spout that nonsense in return.

That said, in essence, I'm in agreement with the rest of your post. :)

An excellent piece by Ms. Ferreira, telling it exactly how it is. We are all entitled to the "Right to Reply" to the narrative of the McCanns and none more so than Mr. Amaral. Hearing only one side of a story is known as propaganda and that is what Mitchell and the British Media have helped them propagate for the last nigh on 3 years.

I think Dr. Amaral has been massively dignified, given the provocation. Most men would resort to fisticuffs is someone called their wife a prostitute, why is any of this to do with Mrs Amaral anyway???? She deserves this even less, if that is possible, since Mr Amaral does not deserve it one bit. Zodiac (post 12) is right, they did not have a reputation to protect after leaving their children like that, it is only in the minds of Sun reporters that they are blameless. People were already saying that in the early days of 'The Mirror ' forum. Long before the book came out. I may be misguided but I have faith in the judge. She allowed several important things that the McCanns requested not to allow. She has not let them have it all their own way.

How is it that two people namely kate and Gerry McCann can insist that their version and only their version of what happened to Madeleine is allowed in the public arena. Even if that version is not what the investigating police officers believe. I am ashamed and disgusted that the UK police force have refused to back Mr Amaral. Not because they don't agree with him. No. Because they are hiding behind secrecy. It's a disgrace and should not be allowed.

I often think about the so called 'journalists' who write these insults for the gutter British press. Do they sincerely believe what they are writing?...I don't think so, not for one moment. That leaves us with the only other scenario, they are writing what they are told. How do they and their paymasters sleep at night?........Do they not realise that an innocent little three year old is lying in an unmarked grave due to outrageous neglect and deviousness?I curse each and every one of them on a daily basis.I hope that when the truth finally outs (and it will), that they are thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

In spite of all that has been written in the British press, this case has taught many of us to learn the spin that is put out by the media. We now know that Clarence met with editors to get the stories shaped. We also know that Clarrie is a friend of the former NOW editor. We know too that Sir Chris Meyer former PCC chairman was married to the lady who I believe went with the duo over the "amber alert". All this and what do we think of the duo?

The British press made 180 degrees turn the moment they gave in to the McCanns threats. Before, they were at them like hungry wolves. After the compensations paid without any judicial decision, they lost completely their dignity and a ass kissing type of journalism begun. Honourable stuff, indeed.

Aníbal Ferreira, well writen! Anyone of us with some dignity would do exactly as GA did. Some of us maybe not so gently.

Ever since I began to realize just last year that a hoax had been perpetrated by the McCanns I have been asking exactly the question posed in this piece.

Does anyone have an answer? How have the McCanns got away with this? Why have they got away with this? When is it going to end?

At the very least the McCanns are guilty of gross negligence as parents and everyone defends them. Gerry throws tantrums in public and everyone justifies his behaviour. They throw gala parties, use money from Maddie's fund to pay their expensive mortgage and everyone is good with that.

How? Is there a precedent to this case? I cannot remember anything like it.

Thanks for your point but I was not talking about the city of Glasgow, nor its people. I was talking about McCann and people like him who come from the tenements but try and lose their native tongue. It is false and something I don't like. I am from Glasgow and was brought up ten-minutes away from the McCanns. I know when to say "yes" instead of "aye" but believe me, he doesn't talk like that in real life. Maybe you haven't watched the video clip where he says "eff-off" in front of those kids. Then once you watch and listen to that clip you'll understand my point.

Why is Kate adamant that Maddie did not just wander off? She says on her update (official website) that she knows for sure that Maddie did not just wander off.

In my humble opinion, this is the only scenario whereby Maddie may be being well cared for - wanders off and some kindly sole or soles think that she has been abandoned and keeps her. They live in the scrubland outside of Portomio and have no tv, radio and cannot read newspapers - plus they have no friends, are completely self sufficient in their remote dwelling.

I agree with a previous pot that Gerry should be searching the scrub area with a cricket bat etc.

Why is Kate adamant that Maddie did not just wander off? She says on her update (official website) that she knows for sure that Maddie did not just wander off.

In my humble opinion, this is the only scenario whereby Maddie may be being well cared for - wanders off and some kindly sole or soles think that she has been abandoned and keeps her. They live in the scrubland outside of Portomio and have no tv, radio and cannot read newspapers - plus they have no friends, are completely self sufficient in their remote dwelling.

I agree with a previous pot that Gerry should be searching the scrub area with a cricket bat etc.""22/01/2010 15:30

I hope Mr Amaral realises that not all the British people believe what the loathesome McCanns and their hangers on say about him,they will all get their comeuppance one day,and when Mr amaral has been proved right i hope he sues every single newspaper and the McCanns and everyone involved in this cover up.Good luck Mr Amaral ,i pray that the Mccanns lose their libel case,and you and Madeleine get the justice you both deserve.

In a way the McCanns have done us all a favour, as I am now cynical about ANY report from ITV News (I will not allow GMTV or any of the awful crew - Fiona Phillips, Phillip Schofield, that stupid Scots woman etc on my TV!), BBC news, Sky News, any newspapers etc. In fact any UK 'news' I treat with huge scepticism (even when it was snowing they got it all wrong and told us we either did or didnt have snow when the opposite was true!).

The PCC (Press Complaints Commission) and Ofcom have been revealed for what they are - toothless and biased organs of Government.

It is utterly incredible that the UK media, the sychophantic nepotistic UK 'personalities' and other members of the corrupt State have got away with pouring forth their racist views - it they were talking about muslims or blacks they'd have been in court by now for their racist views (especially Tony Parsons). Add to that their defence of child neglect, it makes for an appalling and indefensible state of affairs.

To think we once fought the Nazis to free Europe from repression and propaganda and now we are a part of it. I guess a great many of the 'good guys' died in that war!

post 27, I can answer that question...she is adamant because it would be clear that she was responsible - a clear line of causation from her neglect to the loss of her child!

They cling to abduction as a best possible position for their defence - it is a legal issue and they have clearly been legally advised from the very beginning. You will have noticed that eveything they say is from the persepctive of the application of the law.

Like their supporters who claim we are not allowed to challenge the McCanns or accuse them because they are 'innocent unless proven to be guilty' they think they are in the courtroom and only have to use legal defences - but this is the real world not the world of the lawyer!

The rest of us focus on their child and her treatment, they focus on their defence.

We can go on about how the McCanns with the help of the British press slandered Amaral. What hasn't been explained to me is WHY his bosses did nothing to support him? He was effectively thrown to the wolves by them! Why?

They also claimed to have looked for M under her bed- GM statement- but if you look at one of the photos, there would be no room under the bed, as it looks to be only a few inches betweeen the bed and floor.

post 31. It's been suggested that Gordon Brown and the PM of Portugal, Socrates met at the Lisbon Treaty meetings and agreed to something in terms of a trade-off. It's also been suggested that some powerful families in the local community may have played a part.

@ post #33, thanks for your reply. It still makes no sense! Here we have a man who had dedicated 30 years of his life to the force and who by all accounts was pretty good at his job and commanded respect from his colleagues. To then be given no support when he came under such ferocious attack which was clearly orchestrated by the McCanns is baffling and quite frankly appalling. I wonder what reasons were given when he asked for support.

Brilliant article.....now imagine Madeleine had NORMAL parents...we would have never heard of her and especially nothing from her "loving parents".THIS is the real tragedy which has birthed a repetitive chain of abuses and violations, especially targeting one man: Dr.Amaral

mccann people, BRAVO!!!!!You are repugnant people and sometime I came to think it is may be a blessing Madeleine is off your "caring hands".Poor,poor little girl...

I'm looking forward to the day that Goncalo Amaral's book is printed in English. I hope he holds a book signing event with lots of publicity. I will be there in the queue to buy his book, shake his hand and thank him for being so brave and doing what no one else has had the bottle to do.

It seems amazing that they would have a party to commemorate the 1,000 day of their child being missing, however it brings to mind the 'church'pictures, and the video of them laughing as they think the camera is offof them, also the 'Punch and Judy' pictures. I would be so GRIEF STRICKEN as to be unable to even get out of bed, It seems Kate only got her oh so tortured face after all the lies started, it must be hard to keep to the script.

There is no way the McCanns can deny that wandering off was a possibility. Madeleine was known to be a wakeful child (which was why there was the sleep star chart at home), wandering to her parents' bed.

The fact that they DO close off (and did, even from the earliest when it was still an obvious this avenue of inquiry) says a hell of a lot.

I work with damaged children and I agree with those who say this case is without precedent. Madeleine has been let down by two countries! How many people is that altogether? A lot of people in the UK (including my colleagues) think that all they had to do was give a little bit of money to the fund and they have helped Madeleine. Just how wrong is it possible to be?

A week ago i watched a programm on french tv. It was about the disappearance, 7 years ago, of Estelle Mouzin aged 9 at the time ; she disappeared on her way back home from school, in january 2003.

I couldn't help thinking about Madeleine Mccann ; but i noted a few points very differents in Estelle's father behaviour...

On the night his daughter Estelle, disappeared 7 years ago, Mr Mouzin (Estelle's father) although it was one of the coldest night of January, kept looking for his daughter for most of the night with other volunteers ;

Mr Mouzin never had to open a fund.

7 years later, the investigation is not closed ; by the way, the top cop who lead the investigation at the beginning, in 2003, was then closed to retirement. After he retired he made a point to create a local association where they collect any leads or evidence useful to the search of Estelle...

To mark the 7th "anniversary" of her disappearance, Estelle's father just put out a new appeal where he asked for fresh leads and where he also addresses the abductor and ask him/her to give evidence his daughter is dead, and if she is, were the body can be found.

When interviewed by journalists, he said lately : "i wouldn't have thought 7 years ago i still would be here, talking to you about this disappearance."

Halligen will be in court that same day as the strange celebration of 1000 Madeleineless days.The McCanns are once again trying to divert the eyes of the public away from this fact.I wonder if Halligen will be allowed to cut a deal and expose the McCanns dealings for what they are. That could make the after dinner speeches very interesting.

What has happened to Sr Amaral is very similar to what happened to John Stalker, there was a lot of press at the time saying he was forced to resign by freemasons. John Stalker was a top police officer sent to Northern Ireland to investigate the RUC and a shoot to kill policy, after the fatal shooting of six unarmed men. The police in N Ireland didnt like the fact they had been investigated, not just by a Non Freemason officer but also the fact he was a Roman Catholic. If you read the history of freemasonry they despise Roman Catholics and any in the Police force will find it very hard to get promoted, and thats just in England, never mind northern ireland. I dont know if tiny tears is a mason, but it would explain the help the Mcs have had from day one.

Why did Dr. Amaral's superiors do nothing to support him? That's a very good question, because without their acquiescence the situation he found himself in would not have been possible.

It's all about divide and conquer, and finding the means of 'persuading' enough 'natives' to support them is something the British have always been very successful at. That is the secret of how such a small island was able to control a huge empire. The same mechanisms were applied in this case. The people seen 'persecuting' Dr. Amaral are his own countrymen not the British. I doubt whether they'll have the gall to give Mr. Socrates a knighthood but that was the usual way of rewarding willing helpers.

It's also worth re-visiting EM Forster's 'A Passage to India' for a lesson in the racism of a certain class of Brit. and how it has been applied here. Same class that dominate today's political, professional and financial sectors and of course, the media.

Looking back at those photos of the McCanns parading around PdL in the halcyon days, the only things missing are McCann's pith helmet and swagger stick and of course the swarthy servant walking some distance behind carrying a picnic basket on top of his head.

I've no doubt that if Madeleine's disappearance had happened in India at the time of the British Raj, slagging off the local police force and blaming it on a swarthy abductor would have been the close of the matter. They might even have found a swarthy abductor to carry the can and nobody would have disputed it.

janf58 #58. Freemasons do not despise Roman Catholics, they got along well until the French started an anti-clericalism movement and the Pope threatened anyone connected to freemasonry with excommunication. This has not stopped many catholics being members in defiance of their church.

And yet after years of having the British media abusing Dr.Amaral, a "celebrity" thread on the msn boards:"When did Kate McCann have a nose job"http://boards.msn.com/UKEntertainmentboards/thread.aspx?ThreadID=1355854

Noteworthy comment, among many other negative comments:

"The ultimate modern celebrities.

Do you sing? no. Do you act? no. Are you good at sports? no. Well what did you do that made you famous? We neglected our children ( and many people believe that we may have had something to do with our daughter's death)."

If the idea behind the constant abuse by the British media was to whitewash the McCanns reputation, what a complete failure.Clarence Mitchell, you have failed miserably.

At best, your clients will forever be under intense criticism, revulsion and above all suspicion of their involvement in Madeleine's demise.

Soon the official investigations will be reopen and I hope Mrs. Yvonne W.Martin will come as a witness.

By now she must know a lot about Tapas 9 and I'm sure she will come forward, personally in Portimao.Or through Skype.I believe she had access to all information available where she used to work.Colleagues at her office must have helped her.I can't wait.

Too good to be true.Have a good night, Kate and Gerry!Nice dreams, David and Fiona!

I have just been reading snippets of the Maddie Case Files that I hadn't read before, for instance, UK child care staff testimonies, witness testimony from the family doctor and Kate's long-term childhood friend. They all seem to me like sincere, honest accounts and, of course, they are all positive about the family. But now that the abduction theory is no longer believable, what on earth is going on? Not one of their friends or family has described them as arrogant in any way and yet they appeared like that to me from day 1. If they felt they had no other option than to cover up a tragic accident so that they could keep the twins, then I really feel sorry for them, especially as they made the wrong choice Could their pretence have actually changed them into completely different people or have they always behaved completely differently with different people? It really does seem so strange.

Right at the beginning of this case, I read somewhere that Gerry was(is) an arrogant man.It is very difficult for people to say something less nice about friends whose daughter vanished.We have to wait.

Surely the so called 'celebrities' at the 1,000 day event next week will not be foolish enough to part with their money to the fund, when a lot of it has already been wasted on TM's dubious investigators.

The british press is vile not one newspaper in the uk is worth reading no news broadcast worth watching. Spin Spin Spin thats all we get fed daily, we are a nanny state. You can be sent to jail for smoking in a pub, commit murder, and you get a pat on the head Labour will be remembered for the Protection of the Maccanns and the sending of our young men to their death in a war we cannot win, that will be Gordons and Tonys claim to fame. We are a nation in Shame. Who voted these Bastards into power.

Interesting this reference to "A passage to India". You're right, the arrogance of those (so) middle-class people of the Raj recalls the MCs' attitude. I'm convinced that they really thought simulating would be easy and abuse well, being so much more educated, cultural, etc.

@73...It doesn't matter who are in power, the stench of corruption will always hang heavily in the air over Parliament. Read your hisory books. Elections here, as in America are purely an illusion. The 'politicians' are just puppets who dance to the tune of the hidden sinister bastards that really run things.The British have always been given the 'mushroom treatment' (kept in the dark and fed shit) by it's media and sadly, thanks to mass dumbibg down, the majority don't seem too peturbed.

John 25"...this is the only scenario whereby Maddie may be being well cared for - wanders off"Yes, you're right. But, most probably, back in the MCs' head, there's the mental representation of dark (barbarian) Portugueses longing for blond (civilized) girls and ready to risk everything to "take" them. This is what we call in France "image d'Epinal", a naïve picture representing cliches.

'Kate and Gerry McCann will mark the 1,000th day since their daughter Madeleine disappeared with a STAR STUDDED fund-raising dinner and auction.

Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said Kate and Gerry, both 41, of Rothley, FELT it was RIGHT to MARK the OCCASION.----

Right to mark the "occasion" of their daughter's 1,000 day of torture at the hands of the paedophiles they believe her to be with - with a STAR STUDDED PARTY?

You mark occasions, such as birthdays, wedding anniversaries,retirements by throwing a party - For a missing child you say prayers.

Madeleine's mysterious disappearance cannot be classed as an 'occasion!'

There is something crass about marking the 1,000 days and classing it as an occasion. Who in heavens name thought this one up.

I fully understand any parents of a missing child having special thoughts of their child on days which to them, are very meaningful, days when the hurt seems greater, if that is possible, a more poignant day than some others -the child's birthday, an anniversary of the child disappearing, that is natural.

But to throw a bash on the 1,000 day. Something terribly sad and tragic in all of this.

Fund raise by all means if this is what they want to do. But a 1,000 day star studded 'Bash' - it says it all really!

A.Miller

I have to add, they did not FEEL it RIGHT to answer police questions put them, nor did they FEEL it RIGHT to attend an official police criminal reconstruction to help find their own daughter. Oh and they didn't FEEL it RIGHT or necessry to provide protection or child care for their three children.

Catholic and the Maccanns no no no. They are a disgrace to the Catholic church, Masons have no regard for the Catholic faith, and Catholics who are Masons have placed themself outside of the Catholic church, so has Kate Maccann with the IVF, you cannot be a Catholic and belong to any society that plots against the church or state. I do think the Maccanns have sinister contacts regarding this case is it the freemasons who knows,It is a person or society with untold power, and power that comes from evil.

@67 The change in the Maccanns is most probably the deeper they get into this lie the more confident and wicked they become, this has snowballed and snowballed and gets more muddy day by day, who would like to wake up to this everyday, no matter how many star studded bashes they throw, no matter how many interviews, they give; their daughter who loved them both lies in an unmarked grave. Their child Innocent as she was had no dignity after death she can not be mourned publicly by her own mother, They should have told the truth it would have all been forgotten now and we would not be on this blog. I have no sympathy at all for the Maccanns they stink with the stench of pride and that will be their downfall.

To all the conspiracy theorists that are advocating the involvement of the Free Masons, Opus Dei, The Catholic Church, The British Government, etc, etc, etc.

I believe in the principle of Occam's Razor, which says that when faced with a mystery, the simplest solution is probably correct. I also believe in the more modern Hanlon's Razor, which says "Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity."

The simplest solution to the disappearance of an under-four is that her family is involved, and the tangled web of lies that they have woven can be adequately explained by stupidity. Whatever lay behind the child's death is quite beyond me. One assumes a tragic accident, and some really incompetent adults around her who thought it would be a good idea to try to save their own sorry hides by covering up.

No conspiracies beyond that. No UFO aliens, no Downing Street Conspiracies, no Opus Dei, no Catholic Church or Freemasons. Just a couple of really sad, stupid people who can't quite cope with the world as they have experienced it.

As expected, the British press prefers not to comment on the Gaspars disclosure published by Euro Weekly News. McCann's gag being really effective. Everybody is scared of uttering a word that could displease the couple.

The Catholic church is not involved in this case we all know that, The Maccanns have tried to use this as a cover for 2 loving church going parents.They have involved the catholic church, this has been a tragic accident and to save their own skin they have lied and lied and lied but now the lies are starting to catch up with them.

But they have without a doubt had outside help to evade justice so far.

I agree, conspiracy theories simply confirm the view that we are all 'internet nutters' - and I agree with you that this began as a cover up by the McCanns and their frieds (in the uK and Portugal) guided by legal advice obtained quickly. The way they immediately implemented their line of defence is the clearest indication of guilt, innocent people who are victims do not immediately focus on their line of defence.

It was their very early behaviour (as soon as this was in the headlines - it seemed to me overblown at the time) that raised the red flag for me!

86 People make too much of that statement, obviously they expected Madeleine to be found or some other progress to be made, so its not an unreasonable thing to say.

I think that these kind of issues get too much attention and distract from the basic issues, like they only checked the children with an 'eyeball check' once, when Gerald saw Madeleine. None of the other checks they claim were 'eyeballs' - by their own admission. Clearly inadequate and a cause for a claim of neglect.

Focus on things like that and keep away from the 'Dan Brown' theorising!

Post 85, yes that is right...to publicise this about fellow doctors means they must have really been concerned (although why they didnt do something about it at the time is 'questionable').

I suppose they didnt want to get involved, but when Mdeleine vanished they realised they had no choice but raise awareness that the crime might have been committed by someone 'close to home'. The fact that the mcCanns have never suspected any of the 'friends' is an indication that the mcCanns are involved WITH the friends (i.e. its not David alone, but Gerald too).

What I dont understand is why no media people in the UK seem to think any of the thoughts people on here and similar place do. Of course they do - it proves they are being restrained by fear of legal action from some source, presumably the McCanns (I mean it could be from Government too).

As a freemason I am getting very tired about the amount of predudice that is being leveled at that institution through ignorance and malice. Freemasonry is not the bogey man that Hitler had the world believe it is not the proof of every conspiracy theorist on the web. Most freemasons like my self are in the organisation only to help in a charitable way and at the same time have a little fun and convivial company of an evening. Any way what happened to the McCann connection with "Common Purpose"? There is a sinister international organisation!

Fernis at 84...It's a funny old world!! The great British Press had No such scruples when it came to Murat... They were in there like a pack of wolves/vultures. Here we have an actual witness statement to the effect and not a single murmour!!!

Al Miller - 77 - good points - especially the one describing the event to mark the 'occasion'. It is difficult to believe that the mccanns could have organised a more tasteless way of letting us all remember Maddie's disappearance.

However, the proof will be in the pudding.

The 'Celebs' have a bit of competition for their cash at the moment - Haiti and Help for Heroes spring to mind.

It will be very interesting to find out how much is raised on the 27th Jan - I will bet that the event is not reported and figures will be estimated and handed out to the press.

They are widely speculating that Nicky Campbell of 5 live radio will attend - firstly, he is not a celebrity and secondly, I doubt he is that well paid - JK Rowling will not attend - R branson will give back word and a video message - Brian Kennedy will have urgent business to attend to etc etc

My office is a stone's throw from Kensington Gardens - I am going to do a bit of curb crawling that night and just see how many people actually pitch - what type of mood they are in etc

Obviously I will report my finding on here - unless I manage to get detained at her majestey's (should that be 'their Majesteys?' pleasure!

For the last two and a half years now we've had to read endless, usually dredged up, stories about the McCann’s' 'search' for their 'abducted' daughter everywhere (everywhere except where she went missing) and about their “agony”, “heartbreak”, “anguish”, “despair”, “grief”, and their spokesperson Clarence Mitchell's accusations of 'ludicrous smears' and, of course reported “rage” from the McCann’s (when things weren't quite going to plan). Clarence Mitchell, former Head of the government's Media Monitoring Unit, is still helping to obstruct the course of justice by spin and obfuscation. I think sooner or later the people behind the McCann’s are going to dump these two child neglectors, then we might get some justice for little Madeleine,

anon@93 my understanding of the way freemasonry works is that their first objective is to be seen to be completely respectable and without blemish.They achieve this by filling at the top a variety of rich and famous with impeccable track records including royalty and top church people who would never dream of anything such as coverups(its more than their jobs worth)So next they fill at that bottom levels all who are decent and law abiding doing things as you say for a bit of fun with a bit of charity work thrown in.This gives them carte blanche for all kinds of other activities

She had twins, so she had double the legally atributed maternity license. I don't know how many months the law allows of maternity license(absence from work)in England, if it is , let's say 6 months per child, then she would have year off, due to having had twins.

Ian @90, same here. Gerry McCann had lawyers flown in IMMEDIATELY and coined the famous phrase "Our behaviour is well within the bounds of responsible parenting" IMMEDIATELY, well before they became suspects.

No way parents of a genuinely abducted child would be even concerned with that sort of thing --- the sense of guilt, grief and distress would be overwhelming. FGS, the McCanns didn't even look for her the night she disappeared.

From the beginning, their concern was simply to avoid prosecution for their involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.That's all.

I may have misled you, sorry! The McCann's being 'devout' I said tongue in cheek! lol.

I do believe in times of tragedy people will turn or return to their faith. In this case I cannot help but think it was a 'convenient' move to make, it somewhat served a purpose.

@83 and 90

I agree absolutely. No conspiracy, just neglectful parents, resulting in a young and vulnerble child coming to serious harm in their absence,the culprits shall we say, thereafter setting in motion action to save their backsides.

To have concentrated on getting 'lawyered up' from the early stages, by way of defending themselves, and not putting all energy into the plight of the child most certainly set alarm bells ringing.

Why would any parents require top criminal defence lawyers almost immediately? To have done this when they were perhaps made arguido, yes, but so soon after Madeleine disappeared. It doesn't sit right. But then why would they have declared that Madeleine had been abducted. Kate McCann, only minutes after discovering her daughter to be missing screamed abduction.

The police had not arrived and they, McCann's had decided this.

I think most parents so early on would quite naturally have imagined that their child had wandered out of the unlocked door, or had managed to open the front door, which Gerry said was not locked (but not able to be opened from the outside without a key) Madeleine could possibly have left by this route too, depending on the height of the door handle etc. I honestly don't think that the first thoughts of ANY parent would be that someone entered the apartment and took their child.

It would seem impossible to me that one could think this so quickly, but not have considered this before leaving the children alone, in an unsecured apartment. They are at odds with each other.

Most parents would think 'I won't leave the door unlocked in case the children get out or someone gets in. And most parents would think immediately on discovering their child to be missing(knowing their child was prone to waking and wandering and that the door was unlocked)that the child had wandered outside.

It would certainly appear to be a case of child neglect with Madeleine suffering the most terrifying consequences resulting from same.

"Anonymous said... 73 The british press is vile not one newspaper in the uk is worth reading no news broadcast worth watching. Spin Spin Spin thats all we get fed daily, we are a nanny state. You can be sent to jail for smoking in a pub, commit murder, and you get a pat on the head Labour will be remembered for the Protection of the Maccanns and the sending of our young men to their death in a war we cannot win, that will be Gordons and Tonys claim to fame. We are a nation in Shame. Who voted these Bastards into power."

If I made add:

Also not helping a British mother and her son who has Aspergers. No help for Gary Mckinnon and Janis Sharp. Utterly disgusting that they would stand back and let Gary be extradited to the US and face up to 70 years in prison. Yet the McC's who went on holiday with their three children aged 3 and under, left their children unsupervised night after night to go to the pub and imo as a result one goes missing under suspicous circumstances were back home in the UK right after being made Arguido/a's. Not only back in the UK but still have their other 2 children they neglected in their charge!

Thank you for your interest in the work of CEOP and your comments. We hope that the fact that you disagree with our choice of speaker at one of our conferences will not affect your interest in our work once you have read this message.

The courses and conferences which we run are mainly for the benefit of those working in law enforcement and public protection and, as a result, we invite a variety of speakers who have relevant knowledge or experience of the conference topic. The fact that we invite a speaker does not mean that we endorse their views. Our conferences allow people to exchange and challenge views. The current position regarding the McCanns is that they are the parents of a missing child who is presumed to have been abducted: that being the case anything that Gerry McCann has to say will be of interest to those who work in this area and will attend the conference.

I hope this clarifies our position in relation to Gerry McCann's presence at the conference.

The fund and on line shop of the McCann Company as I see it is not bringing in the money it was in the begining, lets face it how many braclets, Tshirts etc. are people going to buy?? also people who donated to the fund in the hope it would help find Madeline must surely now be thinking "why throw good money after bad" as the vast amount donated has been wasted (IMO) on Private Investigators who are no nearer to finding her or any abductor. The most common sense thing for everyone to ask would be re-open the case, ask the McCanns and everyone involved to carry out a resconstruction, answer all questions.

I have pondered the thoughts that the suing of Mr. Amaral for 1.2 million is maybe somesort of retirement fund for the McCanns to safeguard their financial future, I am sure that the McCanns must realise that even the most gullible are not stupid and will start to ask questions (answering questions seems to be a problem for them)

The Strange McCanns

They say every picture tells a story and from a great deal of the pictures shown of the McCanns the one that haunts me is the one taken of them both with beaming smiles on Madelines 4th Birthday only days after her disapearance.

Back to basics is correct and that is, there is no supporting evidence whatsoever outside that of the Tapas gang, that checks were ever done on any night.

Find one independant witness.

It is a complete lie in the cover up of what happened to Madeleine. Ask yourself..... if checks were done how could M be crying as confirmed by independant witnesses on other nights. Her crying would have been discovered within 30 minutes,so they are liars!

"We were crying, mummy and you never came"!

On holiday people usually sit on balconies relaxing, but nobody has ever come forward witnessing this frantic relay race of checking every night, not one witness.

The pink one states that no one in the party had phones or watches at the table that night, so how did they know the time?

Celebrities all over the world are raising funds for Haïti victims but in London these people are still raising money for Madeleine Mccann who probably lost life in May 2007 in her parents holiday's appartment...

I'm not sure that's correct. I read staff statements from the Tapas bar / resto recently and at least one waiter said that during the week the men regularly left the table (presumably to check) as he had to keep their plates hot.Please correct me if that's wrong.

After 5 days the restaurant staff seems to still ignore the Tapas had children at all. Mrs Fenn's testimony shows, yes, that the kids weren't checked at least on a regular basis (since the tapas were at the tapas bar the "crying night" as well).According to what he said at the hearing Menezes admitted the tapas weren't saying the truth (which, for him, isn't the same as lying...) concerning the checking schedule.

Sorry that I have not given any reply this afternoon but have been out shopping! As to the vices of Freemasonry perhaps I should clarify that I an a Scottish member of the Craft and as such we do not have the same problems English freemasons regards to the business interests that usually provoke excitement in the press. Most of the members in my lodge are plumbers, joiners, bus drivers and a whole host of others including in this present climate many who are unemployed. We are not movers and shakers or captains of industry, nor is the next tier up from the lodge. If freemasonry is such and evil organisation that infiltrates society only for the interests of its members then I have been missing something for the last 30 years. As to having books about freemasonry published in the UK the story commented upon by #108 just go and look in any bookshop in the country and you will find exposes on freemasonry and their iniquitous ways on the shelves. On of these books, 'Inside the Brotherhood' by Martin short brought to the public's attention that a fraud had been perpetrated upon local authority, if I remember correctly, by three men belonging to the same Lodge - scandal! Mr Short however did have the grace to tell his readers that these men were also brothers and brother-in-laws. As to the secrecy I refer you to the bookshops for any information you may require vis a vie what goes on in the lodge and its secrets, and also ask you if it's any secret in the part of the country where you live as to the locations of local masonic premises?

I should like to point out that just because one is British we do not automatically support the Mccanns. I can't speak for the populace in it's entirety but I can assure you that many of us do not believe a single word of the spin perpetrated within the U.K. The disgusting, insolent, illiterate comments highlighted in this article emanate from the British gutter press only and in no way reflect the opinions of the population generally - but then the tabloids are not exactly renowned for their eloquence!

In regard to the lack of support shown for Mr Amaral within the Portugese establishment, I feel to a certain extent this was redressed by the witnesses in attendance at the recent civil court hearing. Mr Amarals evaluation of the investigation was 100 percent corroborated and yet there was not a glimmer of support put forward by the Mccanns to justify their claims of abduction.

I have in the past expressed my belief that details of any criminal investigation remain secrect until such times as a case is resolved, excepting the need to appeal to the public for information that would assist with an investigation. Intricate cases can take months or even years to solve, especially where there may be a crime syndicate involved whereby law enforcement agencies will be after the big fish not just the small fry, such as drug cartels, terrorisme, paedophilia, money laundering, child trafficking etc. I think it worth considering that this is the very situation faced with regard to the Mccanns and their entourage. There is a distinct possibility that for operational reasons it was necessary to by-pass Mr Amaral and his team and to subsequently maintain secrecy that could not include the PJ and thus alienate Mr Amaral!

If this case continues to be investigated under cover, so to speak, I should imagine that it was shelved by the Portugese and referred to the British authorities as the crime itself would fall within their jurisdiction. I have no knowledge of the law but I think this to be feasible as I do not consider it possible that any force throughout the civilized world could abandon a missing child. If I am wrong in my assumptions I am sure someone out there will correct me!

Let's imagine they dedicated the 1000th missing day to all charities working on missing persons. Let's imagine they organized that dinner and auction etc. in order to raise funds for these charities. Let's imagine they declared on that occasion that Madeleine being one of these missing persons, and private search having finally proved to be unsuccessful, there's no point in having a separate fund to look for her and that they're joining one association for missing children. Let's imagine that moreover they stated that helping others will help them keeping the planet aware that Madeleine is still missing.Then what would we think ?

I believe that freemasons are involved in this case, very much so, people who poo poo it are the same IMO that are taken in by it. Nobody wants to believe that evil exists within it. I am retired from working with the NSPCC and have a very good knowledge of all sorts of things that i wouldnt want others to even think about, let alone be involved in. As for catholics in masons, well their not allowed by the catholic church, if you want to know how seriously evil it is read the Popes booklet on it and gain some insight. As for John Stalker and what happened to him, it wasnt proved freemasons were involved, people who were involved in the smear campaign were actually freemasons. Now as for people on here and on other forums, they are as entitled to their opinions as am i. I have worked with people who have been abused emotionally, sexually and the worst of all (if anything can be worse) satanic ritual abuse. so dont write me off as a conspiricy theorist. But i am entitled to my opionion, the immediate swing into action of not only governments, lawyers etc etc, sorry a couple of drs who have made a mistake dont have that kind of backup, not in my experience. The way Sr Amaral has been smeared is exactly the same as what happened to John Stalker, and i know the Stalker family personally.

My point is there are no witnesses to say for how long or where did they go,toilets, bar, fag break etc., are all possible. None! One waiter said "he did not know where they went". Which confirms my point, but if they had checked their children how could M cry for more than 30 minutes, before being discovered?

No waiter ever saw a woman away from the table. The Tapas group are all alibiing each other.

JT passes a good friend within 6ft and never even said "Hi", Wilkins and McCann never saw her, because she wasn't there!

I have been trying to find the recent videos and news reports from sky on the web lncluding utube -they all seem to have vanished -latest I can find is from dec 09. Is it me or has the pink one and his string pullers been working overtime .

Thanks for the clarification re: independant witnesses to the checking routine (if any).The Fenn statement certainly suggests that on one night at least there was no checking in the McCann appartment for a prologed period.

@ Anonymous 123Mrs Fenn said 75'... Anyone passing near the building corner would have heard a crying in the silent nights of PDL, if she heard. Waiters are too busy to notice something else than having to warm or keep meals warm. Who asked for that ? Men ? Women, because men have left when meal was served ? Before or after leaving ?

My post 122, just to clarify, it was not proved that freemasons colluded to smear Stalker, however the people directly involved just happened to be freemasons. There was a nice big bunch of flowers left in Rothley for Maddie by the Knights Templar, this however does not prove, GM is a mason, could just be an innocent gesture. But many things dont add up. Take for example the pro supporters, you mention dogs, no unreliable, KM not answering 48 questions, no didnt want to incriminate herself (how you can do that if your innocent is beyond me) mention the Gaspar statements, no its all been taken out of context, the windows werent jemmied, no thats a red herring but the door was open, they said Maddie never woke up, then conveniently remember she did, no this was just a misunderstanding, the list is endless. If GM was found burying Maddie, their supporters would say, oh well he got a phone call telling him where she was and hadnt had time to contact the police. So tell me are these people just naive or plain stupid, or worse?

The Murphy report into abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese from 1975 to 2004. See wikipedia or google for more information.

Pope's 'outrage'Instead, paedophile priests were moved from parish to parish, free to repeat their actions on new victims.Of five bishops named in that report, only the Bishop of Galway, Martin Drennan is still in office, despite calls for his resignation from victims of abuse.Immediately after the report's publication, the Primate of All Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, said he was "deeply sorry and ashamed" at the abuse of children described in the report.Pope Benedict has also summoned Irish bishops to Rome next month for a series of meetings on the issue.He previously said he shared the "outrage, betrayal and shame" felt by Irish people.In a statement, issued after he met Irish church leaders in December, the Pope was said to be "disturbed and distressed".http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8473858.stm

was it a forum myth that Madeleine hid one night in the bushes before bed time,I have been looking for a link but can not find any thing,it's just with Kate so confident that Madeleine would not wander.Also didn't Diane Webster say it's just one of their little games or words to that effect.

Who was responsible for delaying information or for the most part preventing information on this case from reaching the Portuguese police? Who arranged for the McCanns to meet the Pope? Who was behind the public relation service performed by politicians that accompanied the McCanns to the European Parliament, while they were still Arguidos? In the first year of this case who was responsible for the parade of British ambassadors to Portugal? Who was responsible for assigning the spokespersons that have represented this self righteous couple? Who is responsible for the preferential treatment given to the McCanns in Portugal and England? Who is responsible for the biased reporting in Britain? Why is it that British citizens who try to access information on this case are often told that release of such information would compromise the security of Britain?

I have received exactly the same email message, word for word from CEOP. I have politely replied to it saying that it doesn't clarify anything at all. I have asked why CEP assumes that Madeleine was abducted when police evidence shows that she cannot have been. No reply to that as yet...

poster 93 says all i need to know about freemasonry...he writes"most freemasons like myself are in the organisation only to help in a charity and at the same time have a little fun and convivial company of an evening" is he telling us that all those years ago the founders said "lets form a secretive group who with elaborate and expensive attire and with strange elaborate joining ceremonys will allow all our members to aid charities and have nice evenings together" Sir, that can be done and is being done easily up and down the country in pubs and clubs so i think you should inquire at your lodge because i think you are being short changed and you are missing out on other things that may be of benifit...like getting you off a charge of child neglect

S.B 120"In regard to the lack of support shown for Mr Amaral within the Portugese establishment, I feel to a certain extent this was redressed by the witnesses in attendance at the recent civil court hearing. Mr Amarals evaluation of the investigation was 100 percent corroborated and yet there was not a glimmer of support put forward by the Mccanns to justify their claims of abduction."

I do agree with you.The balance has been re established a little bit and we all hope the judge will see through these very articulate testimonies given by very professional and honorable men.

The case has been shelved and there is NO ongoing investigation although I personally believe this is not true at least in regard of the portuguese.It is obvious that Dr.Amrals team has been working at it and more things will hit the fan.Now I do not think the british police is doing anything at all or may they do by they have the obligation to refer whatever they find to the Portuguese authorities as this investigation is/was happening in Portugal.What the british cops should and must do is investigate this "fund".This is under the UK"s jurisdiction.Do they? have they? I doubt it very much.Is what has happened to Madeleine TOO big as to leave it UN investigated? What is Madeleine"s legal guardian doing for HER? NOTHING. All the contrary ,she has helped the mccanns to carry on posing like victims without considering the child and HER very own RIGHTS. There are 3 people in this never ending saga that disgust me to the bone marrow: Madeleine"s "parents" and her "legal guardian".

Thats right: there is only ONE man who wants to find the truth and make justice to Madeleine and he has become the mccCash"s target. WHY?

Speaking as a Roman Catholic, it is exactly the same power structure as the Freemasons (I am excluding any 'belief systems' here). The people at the bottom level in both structures are trying to be good and normal. The levels further up are complex layers of power-broking and covering up scandals. The problems of the Vatican bank, for instance and this month's meeting with the Pope by the disgraced Irish child-abusing bishops show such goings-on.I can therefore appreciate that any 'normal' freemason is a really worthwhile member of society. It is the upper echelons who are corrupt - in both structures and many other organisations.

Post 106. Why does CEOP believe that the missing child "is presumed to have been abducted" - presumed by whom? Only the parents presume so; as we have heard from the official investigation witnesses in the McCann libel trial, the PJ do not presume so, do they? The PJ have led the investigation, so why aren't CEOP following the PJ evidence that the child died in the apartment? Are they mad, incompetent, wasting taxpayers money or what? This is really a matter for the Police Complaints Commission or a complaint to the Home Office.

I'm very sorry for both Gonçalo Amaral and his family, having to endure these dreadful, unwarranted attacks by the British press. Indeed, I'm sorry for the PJ as a whole, seeing the way they've been sneered at too by British journalists, as though they didn't know how to conduct a criminal investigation, as though they weren't a modern police force with dedicated officers who worked tirelessly to solve the mystery of Madeleine's disappearance.

The PJ were expected to do their investigation with one hand tied behind their back, with little or no help from the UK, with the media constantly carping and criticising and repeating every complaint and moan from members of Team McCann in their newspapers. Maybe the PJ should just have handed the job over to the British journalists and let them get on with it themselves, see if they could 'find Madeleine' - oh, and pay them a police officer's wage instead of their journalist salaries.

No police force is perfect, but most do their best in at times very difficult circumstances. We know how hard the PJ and of course GA himself worked in the days and weeks after Madeleine's disappearance, giving up their free time and cancelling their leave, yet all the British journalists could do was complain about them taking time out to eat or not doing what the McCanns wanted them to do, as though the McCanns were in charge.

Of course GA was entitled to write his book and he is IMO entitled to sue the British papers for the things they've said about him and Sofia. What a pity the PJ as a whole can't sue the British press, as IMO they would have a good case.

It is not very often I say I am ashamed to be British ,but the massive cover up in this clear cut case makes me very ashamed to be British ,nothing would please me more than when the day comes(as it must) that Kate and Gerry pay the price for what happened to Maddie , I pray that everyone involved in the cover up are also charged ,it has NEVER,EVER been about finding Maddie it has been about saving Kate and Gerry from DAY ONE !! it stinks

Somewhere I read that the February hearings will happen behind closed doors(broken shutters and open window).If it will happen behind closed doors, this could be only a request of the McCanns because we all want to know what is going on.I wonder if Skynews will twitter it like it did before.I bet not or they will twitter it wrongly.They can not stop twittering, the public would notice it.Words "the first ones who said MURDER were the Scotland Yard", came as a shock, my goodness.This could have been the reason why Gerry left.Or was it the call Kate made to Paiva?Who knows the Mccanns had a fight and Gerry decided to leave?I wonder if the Healeys and Mrs McCann senior followed the twitter.I hope they did.

I just went back to the first appeal (video) made by Kate in front of the TVs. It was chocked at the time, for me, and more chocked now. She shows no emotion, no tears, no changes in the voice, nothing. looks like she is reading a paper written by somebody else, asking people to give back an object. WHAT A FALSE MUM.

Come on Kate, this have nothing to do with British cold tradition and education, nothing to do with self control... this is something else, with a bad taste according to my feelings. MADDIE MISSING WAS NOT A PAIN TIME, is a relieve time.... THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOW THE WORLD. But you have to make an appeal, forced by the circumstances, the police and the journalists. An appeal without emotions, which show us that you did not believe a single word you are saying. A real mum will be not able to make such appeal, will break in tears on the fast second. Will be surrounded by people which will hold her hands to give her a shoulder to rest, to clean her face and help finish every sentence that she fail. But you Kate, you have at your side, just your husband( no any of your friends) and he, same as you, show no emotion... only control... at your behaviour, at what you are saying. DISGUSTING!!!

And you blame the police, the book, for damaging the search of your girl. You and your husband were the only ones to blame for damaging everything, with your Media circus which start very early with that appeal. IF YOU WERE NOT CONVINCED ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE SAYING, HOW CAN YOU CONVINCE OTHERS? AND A CONVINCED MOTHER, CRY, SCREEM, FELL APART AND NEVER EVER READ A PAPER TO ASK HER CHILD BACK....

147, you have your opinion and i have mine, and neither of us know for sure what happened in PDL. I'm not here to argue with people whether they are pro or against the Mcs version of events, just here to voice my opinion, as im sure you are. A

@ Anonymous 139Yes, it is curious : they don't mention him as Dr, that would make him too distant may be. Note that very often it's just "Kate and Gerry", as one says "Bonnie and Clyde", they're part of our culture now (goodness !).The fact they're a (seemingly) unbreakable couple might be the best strength. They know it, this is why, symbolically, they're holding hands in front of cameras (in the Court corridors they didn't). What unites them deeply ? Solidarity in guilt (for neglect) and/or innocence (let's leave them the benefit of doubt)? Sharing a terrible secret ? The threat of MM's body being at any moment discovered (they don't look scared, no remains were probably left ; remember that once back in the UK they defied the PJ to find the body and prove they did it) ?

"I do believe in times of tragedy people will turn or return to their faith. In this case I cannot help but think it was a 'convenient' move to make, it somewhat served a purpose."Yes, it served a double purpose I would say : it showed how really devastated they were, without having to express pain directly, and it relieved their guilt feeling (I always wondered whether they confessed ; if so it could explain their "above the human ordinary things" attitude).

Firstly, I should like to make it clear that I admire Mr Amarals courage and integrity, against so much adversity he continues to fight for justice to his own detriment, which sets him apart from the masses.

Perhaps I didn't make myself very clear. If this case was purely and simply that of abduction, of which there is absolutely no evidence, as it it occurred on Portugese territory it would of course fall within their jurisdiction. However, from the few facts we know and the continuing behavour of the Mccanns there is a strong indication that this case is more intricate than a straight forward abduction. I have my own thoughts on the subject but like most of us I have nothing to substantiate my thoughts other than investigation details released into the public domain. (Not the British media I don't hasten to add).

So let's assume that there is a sinister background to this case which necessitates the surveillance of the Mccanns and possibly other persons, e.g. David Payne and the rest of the tapas group. Again, I may be wrong but as British citizens it would follow that the case then becomes the responsibility of the British law enforcement agents, with the assistance of the Portugese as required. I have absolutly no proof that the investigation is being continued by anyone but Mr Amaral, however I remain convinced that something is going on under cover and subsequently the case will be resolved at some point in the future.

I certainly agree with you that the fund should be investigated as I have always believed that the money therein is being laundered, through the double glazing bloke and all the mickey mouse (no disrespect to Mr Disney) private investigators they have appointed for no apparent reason but the pretence of an ongoing search that never resolves anything. If I am right in my assumptions before mentioned this would be another aspect of an overall investigation undertaken by the relevant law enforcement bodies.

I should like to express my admiration of you and your esteemed husband, who inspite of this unimaginable position you find yourselves in, you continue to fly in the face of adversity. Everywhere you turn the knives are out against you, especially the bungling cops who you expected to support you by looking for your abducted daughter and keeping you informed in all aspects of the investigation as it progressed as one would assume they should.

Your contribution to your official website was particularly heart wrenching. You categorically maintain that when entering the appartment on that fatefull night the shutter was up in the childrens bedroom, the window was open and the breeze blowing the curtains struck you immediately, despite all evidence to the contrary. A gross misrepresentation of fact indeed, after all, you and only you where there so naturally how could anyone dispute what you say? You know what you saw so it is a travesty of justice to contradict you - is it not? How can it be suggested that this was fabrication when there was nobody else there to witnss what you saw.

Of course your child was abducted. There is no evidence to contradict your version of events so it must follow that all the evidence contained within the case files is pure fantasy.

Your ability to stand accused and yet continue to lead a normal life is truly remarkable. What an ordeal you faced being compelled to attend the hearing about that defamatory book and to listen to all the lies thrown at you. Your poor husband must have fled Portugal to escape the emotion just as you both did in September 2007. Yet you braved out the ordeal with the help of your trusted friend Ms Tanner - how very noble you are!

Perhaps when your husband appears at the conference next week he will get the opportunity at the close of business to answer some questions put forward to support your innocence as you have so far been denied this facility. What is more, I don't know how you will be able to face all those wealthy celebrities at next weeks bash without crumbling under the strain. Perhaps the thought of all that money will help you to cope with the emotion of the support of such distinguished persons. You have already had to stop working in order to devote your time to the transalation of those cursed documents in case you have missed 'that vital piece of information" that the police have withheld from you. Money does not solve everything but it sure does take the sting out of the tail!

Let justice prevail!

N.B. Why don't you do the right thing - that vital piece of information? Apply for the bungling cops to re-open the case!

no 168- I wonder too if things are moving behind the scenes. Didn't one of the PJ who took the stand say that he still gets sightings of Madeleine passed to him for investigation? Presumably the PJ are then obliged to look into them, case closed or not. I also believe the UK police know alot more about the McCanns, but are not yet in a position to do anything, in the meantime they try and not be forced to reveal anything, so as not to jeprodise future proceedings. PJ & UK police are watching, giving them enough rope to hang themselves...........

Most probably when the PJ receives a phone call about a sighting they ask a huge lot of questions, proper to discourage any fake maker. This is probably what GM tried to say : if they're convinced MM is dead, they will have no ears for possible leads.

We know you are infatuated with KMC - you've told us. Presumably that explains your determination to look for the best in everything they say and do.

If the McCanns were really concerned about the PJ not investigating leads because they thought her dead, they would formally request that the Portugese authorities reopen the inquiry. HOwever, according to the McCanns the Portugese authorities "cleared" them and did not conclude Madeleine was dead. So - what's the problem?

I'm sorry but I'm not Anonymous nor "infatuated with (the so good looking) KM" ! I try to be objective, that's all, and I don't stand the hatred I read in some posts. Anonymous 173's post said "Presumably the PJ are then (after receiving a phone call on some sighting) obliged to look into them, case closed or not" and I thought GM was right to expect the police wouldn't react as much as if they thought MM might be alive.I don't think that NOW the Ms may have the case reopen with just a snap of their fingers. They should bring some really new element and I'm not sure that Kate saying she'll answer the famous 48 or the Tapas 9 coming to a reconstitution would be enough.If the Portuguese authorities realize that lots of portugueses felt humiliated through GA's humiliation (and I felt myself, though I'm not Portuguese), they'll make sure this freedom of speech trial finishes decently.

This is off the subject, but does someone know about a manual on corpses concealment that was found at the MC's villa (the day they went to Spain) according to the documentary "anatomia de um crime" presented by Sandra F. ?

..."The two Leicester men had stumbled into the tail-end of a Masonic event, a dinner organised by the Victory lodge of Blackburn. This lodge, said Short, is dominated by police officers: the policemen who were involved in the original fight, the officer who subsequently investigated the incident, a senior official in the Crown Prosecution office which handled the case, and the manager of the hotel where the dinner took place were all members of the Victory lodge."...

anonymous 182, that's a generalization, corruption happens among different social classes independently of their culture, creed and political colour. Unfortunately the Justice system in most countries is fragile in that aspect, very few are the ones that get caught and face the laws of men.

aagc, it wasn't a manual - not exactly a 'how to hide a corpse in 10 lessons', per se, it was a book on crime, forensics and similar. Gerry McCann holiday reading material was odd, specifically the book that you mention :"No Stone Unturned", a motto used by Team McCann later on, as part of their 'global campaign'.

The book can be bought at Amazon site: No Stone Unturned: The True Story of the World's Premier Forensic Investigators (Paperback)http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0786015772?tag=themorn-21&camp=1406&creative=6394&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0786015772&adid=0YZQ9RT5DSE7F4EGG150&

The description page: «A body stuffed in a car trunk swallowed by the swirling, muddy waters of the Missouri River. A hiker brutally murdered, then thrown off a cliff in a remote mountain range. A devious killer who hid his wife's body under a thick cement patio. For investigators, the story is often the same: they know a murder took place, they may even know who did it. But without key evidence, pursuing a conviction is nearly impossible. That's when they call NecroSearch International. Necrosearch boasts a brain trust of the nation's top scientists, specialists, and behaviourists who use the latest technology and techniques to help solve "unsolvable" crimes, no matter how decayed the corpse, no matter how cleverly the killer has hidden the victim's body. Now, for the first time ever, readers are taken on a fascinating, often-shocking journey into a realm of crime investigation of which few people are aware. Necrosearch's most challenging cases are described, step-by-step, as these modern-day Sherlock Holmes's detect bodies and evidence thought irretrievable, and testify in court to bring cold-blooded killers to justice.»

Another description from the same book: «NecroSearch International specializes in homicide cases shelved because of "corpus indelecti" that is, a body cannot be produced as evidence that a murder has taken place. Coming from a wide range of backgrounds geophysicists to "cadaver dog" specialists to chemists and rank-and-file cops the members of NecroSearch combine their skills to produce the most proficient (and most exciting) detective work since Sherlock Holmes. They take the coldest cases and comb for hidden graves on rural hillsides, in suburban backyards and at the bottom of mud-choked riverbeds, searching for remains that have been buried anywhere from two to 20 years. (Or 70, as in the notorious Romanov family case.) Having sharpened his true crime teeth on Monster, Jackson competes here with two other books on forensic science to appear this season: Michael Baden and Marion Roach's Dead Reckoning and Corpse by Jessica Snyder Sachs. But while those books concentrate on the establishment of forensic methods as formidable weapons in the fight for criminal justice, this book combines the burden of scientific proof with rousing tales of police work out in the field or the quarry, the Rocky Mountains or someone's backyard. The book covers the group's quirky beginnings and digs into its most important cases suspensefully; Jackson's sharp eye misses nothing in the painstakingly rendered details. A must-have for true crime fans, it should also be of great interest to anyone fascinated with the practical applications of science.»

aacg, since when does the Police need to warn criminal suspects? It would be counter-productive. The McCanns trip to Huelva was one of the most confusing acts done by the couple at that time - the strangeness of the days chosen by the couple, specifically when in Huelva everything was closed for a Saints holiday; the car extra mileage was another strange and never explained fact; and in an unusual media move they just took with them Jon Corner playing the Cameraman and John, Gerry McCann's brother - their publicity stunt was made mainly at a Bus stop and on the streets. Back to the Police investigation, the PJ went on orders and legally, ie, with a judge warrant to search the house.

I should've included a lengthier excerpt; the point is, two men nearly went to prison because of a police/mason conspiracy against them. Fortunately, they were acquitted and later received £170,000 in compensation from Lancashire police in a out-of-court settlement.

Those who dismiss the possibility of freemason corruption in this case should read about the experiences of Callis and son.

Ok, thanks for that and that is what I originally thought. But I think the "maternity leave" reference on the police files is not then accurate as I do not know of any unpaid maternity leave in UK at least.

If the verdict went against Amaral, I hope he pens another book with all the juicy bits in. And what can the mccanns do about it?Are they going to tackle every one of his book? What would it look to the public?

Waiting for the next hearing to hear all the juicy bits may be quite a long while yet.

If Amaral wins, I hope the english version gets distributed in UK ASAP. The mccanns can try to obtain injunction in UK but their action will generate plenty interest. People will want to know why they want to ban a failed injunction.

I don't know whether the McCanns did it or not but they do come over as highly suspicious and peadophilia is rampant in Scotland and the rest of the UK for that matter. I remember the case of the two Scottish judges that were caught in the act. They simply resigned their posts and the whole thing went away. The Holly Greig case is the most current example but there are volumes of examples that get buried in the quicksand of our legal system. Power and paedophlia are like a horse and carriage, they go together. All paedophile investigations grind to a halt as soon as notable figures in government are implicated, as in the Holly Grieg case, another example being the massive paedophile expos'e that happened a few years back in Washington USA. Channel 4 had a full documentary on the subject but it was withdrawn. Fortunately it is available to watch in Google Video so one can get an idea of the incredible depth of corruption that surrounds these evil peadophiles in power. I think the McCann case is more of the same given that, in the case of Scotland, it will involve the very same people that have come to light in the Holly Grieg case. The death of a thousand cuts will be too good for them. In my view the McCanns are as guilty as hell and fit the profile of paedophiles like a glove. Sick Sick Sick.